10 abandoned hotels

By Roderick Eime, for CNN

Updated 2:34 AM ET, Thu January 9, 2014

10 abandoned hotels10 photos

1. Sheraton Rarotonga, Cook Islands – This sprawling almost-resort is still shown on Google Maps even though it's never hosted a single guest. Called the "Heartbreak Hotel" by islanders, the project nearly bankrupted the tiny Pacific nation.

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2. Sofitel Heiva, Huahine, French Polynesia – Although ideally located on a secluded spit of the island, it's been a decade since the last guest checked out here and the property is falling apart.

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3. Lee Plaza, Detroit, United States – Detroit might be bankrupt but signs of its former glory hang on inside the Lee Plaza hotel. Closed for two decades, the 15-floor art deco structure is nonetheless deteriorating badly.

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4. Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea – Begun in 1987 as a monument to North Korea's eternal leader, Kim Il-sung, what started as an attempt to create the world's tallest hotel has turned into one of the secretive state's greatest embarrassments.

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5. Hotel Renakse, Phnom Penh, Cambodia – This century-old French colonial style hotel was owned by the Cambodian People's Party, and then sold to a private developer in murky circumstances.

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6. Varosha, Famagusta, Cyprus – Varosha was once frequented by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot, but since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 the former resort has become a fenced-off no man's land.

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7. Igloo City, Alaska, United States – Starting construction in the 1970s, Igloo City contravened so many building codes it was never able to open.Serving variously as a souvenir stand and gas station since, it's now all but derelict.

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8. El Hotel del Salto, Colombia – A horribly polluted river and a reputation as a suicide spot put guests off staying at this ornate little hotel, and it eventually failed.

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9. Hotel Polissya, Pripyat, Ukraine – This then 10-year-old hotel was evacuated along with the rest of Pripyat after the explosion of the Chernobyl reactor nearby. Today, "disaster tourists" climb to the roof for views across the desolate city.

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10. Unknown hotel, Vientiane, Laos – Just as some abandoned hotels are famous for their once lavish decor and celebrity guests, others are notable for their anonymity.This forlorn, riverside pension still has a couple of ground level occupants but is largely abandoned.

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Story highlights

North Korea's "Hotel of Doom" remains the tallest unoccupied building in the world

Cyprus's Varosha lost its tourism appeal after the Turkish invasion in 1974

Ukraine's Hotel Polissya was evacuated in 1986 after the catastrophic explosion of the nearby Chernobyl nuclear reactor

Ideally located on a secluded spit of land on the French Polynesian island of Huahine, the over-water bungalows here still appear alluring and the botanic garden-like grounds are still meticulously maintained.

Closer inspection reveals a totally derelict property, battered by the elements and stripped of all fittings, with gaping holes in the bungalow roofs and many of them in danger of collapse.

It's been a decade since the last guest checked out and the former Sofitel stands as a somber monument to the dramatic downturn in this onetime holiday paradise.

Begun in 1987 as a monument to North Korea's eternal leader, Kim Il-sung, what was conceived as an attempt to create the world's tallest hotel has turned into the secretive Stalinist state's greatest visible embarrassment.

Just last April, the swank Kempinski chain back-peddled from its earlier management announcement that slated the 330-meter, 3,000-room, 105-story monstrosity to open as early as 2014. " ... [M]arket entry is not currently possible," Kempinski told CNN.

In September 2012, the North Korean state-owned tour company, Koryo Tours, released the first ever images from inside the very empty structure.

This historic hotel is a well-known landmark opposite the Royal Palace on the waterfront at the Tonle Sap and Mekong junction.

It began as part of the Royal Court of Justice and, in 1979, housed the first post-Khmer Rouge government. The century-old French colonial style hotel is owned by the Cambodian People's Party -- or was.

In a controversial transaction that broke the leaseholder's contract, it was sold to a private development company with ties to the ruling party.

Phnom Penh residents and other concerned persons launched a petition to save it from demolition, but its future remains uncertain.

This then 10-year-old, eight-storey hotel, along with the entire city of 50,000 residents, was hurriedly evacuated in April 1986 after the catastrophic explosion of the nearby Chernobyl nuclear reactor.

One of the tallest structures in the abandoned city, Hotel Polissya serves as a prominent and sad reminder of that fateful day.

The new wave of disaster tourists make a beeline for the building for a rooftop view over the desolate urban wasteland.

The hotel, along with a ghostly amusement park, high school and stadium, make of Pripyat an altogether unsettling experience.